Journalists endangered worldwide

The journalists are increasingly becoming an endangered species. And we are reminded of this unpleasant fact once again as we observe the 'International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists' (IDEI) today.  

The casualty figures are very dismal, made even more so by the fact that the number of journalist targeted while in line of duty is rising. According to UNESCO reports, 680 journalists have been killed between 2006 and 2014 of which only 6 percent cases has been resolved. The print media had to bear the brunt of losses that tallied up to 41 percent of the total casualties. And 70 journalists were killed up until September 2015. 

It is regrettable that in spite of various resolutions adopted by the UN between 2006 and 2013 the number of journalists killed every year has not fallen primarily because of the failure to address the issue of impunity of the perpetrators. 

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, in 2015 Bangladesh has been among the top 10 deadliest countries for journalists in the world. Although the journalists in Bangladesh are not facing a conflict situation as in many other countries, they nonetheless at times fall foul of the political parties. Apart from the threat to life, journalists are often harassed with legal actions for doing their professional duty of informing the people on matters of public interest. In fact, almost all cases of journalist killings in Bangladesh in the last decade remain unresolved.

Good journalism depends on safe and secure ambience for journalists to function in. And without responsible and unfettered journalism democracy, and by extension the people, is the loser.